Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the television pop series, Ready Steady Go!. He first hit the charts in 1965 with his single "Catch the Wind", continuing on with a string of hits, most of them produced by Mickie Most. Donovan's 1966 Sunshine Superman marked not only a transition to the burgeoning psychedelic scene, but is also viewed as a formative album in its genre, inspiring countless contemporaries. His 1967 double album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden—the first major album released as a boxed set—completed the transition from beat poet folkster to hippie troubadour.
As a close friend of The Beatles, he traveled with them to India during their stay at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and taught them the "clawhammer" finger-picking style, which is featured on several tracks on their seminal 1968 double album The Beatles, better known as "The White Album."
The decline of Donovan's commercial popularity coincides roughly with his split from Most in 1969, as well as gradually lessened interest in psychedelics by artists and the record-buying public alike. With the advent of punk rock during the mid-'70s, Donovan, now viewed as a "nice boy" '60s relic, truly fell from favor. Music critics' tastes too had changed; Donovan's new product, while still quirky and experimental, earned little but scorn and derision. As the decades progressed, Donovan would record and perform only sporadically, often separated by several years.
Donovan's career went through a revival of sorts with the emergence of Britain's rave scene in the '90s. As a result, his most famous works were reissued, and once again viewed favorably by critics. With the release of the back-to-basics Rick Rubin-produced Sutras in 1996, Donovan's career settled into a comparatively steady stream of new releases, coupled with archival material and various reissues. He was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Song Of The Wandering Aengus
Donovan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because a fire was in my head
And I cut and peeled a hazel wand
And hooked a berry with a thread
And when white moths were on the wing
And moth-like stars were flickering out
I dropped a berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire aflame
But something rustled on the door
And someone called me by by name.
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossoms in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands
I will find out where she has gone
And kiss her lips and take her hands
And walk among long dappled grass
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun
The Song of the Wandering Aengus is a mysterious and mystical poem that tells a story about a young man's unforgettable encounter with a supernatural being in the hazel woods. The singer is driven by an inexplicable desire to wander around the forest, and while there, he decides to fashion a hazel wand and use it to catch a silver trout from a rippling stream. However, as he tries to stoke his fire to roast the fish, his door rustles, and he hears a voice calling his name. To his amazement, he sees a beautiful maiden with apple blossoms in her hair who calls him by his name and runs off into the brightening air. Despite being old and having wandered through hollow and hilly lands, the singer is determined to find the girl again and be with her forever.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish out to the hazel wood
I ventured into the hazel wood
Because a fire was in my head
With a strong desire and passion burning within me
And I cut and peeled a hazel wand
I fashioned a wand from the hazel tree's branches
And hooked a berry with a thread
I tied a berry to the end of the wand with a string
And when white moths were on the wing
When the white moths were flying around
And moth-like stars were flickering out
And stars were disappearing into the night sky like moths
I dropped a berry in a stream
I let go of the berry and it fell into a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
Only to catch a small trout with my rod
When I had laid it on the floor
Once I laid the trout on the ground
I went to blow the fire aflame
I intended to blow the fire to flames
But something rustled on the door
Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound at the door
And someone called me by my name.
A voice called my name
It had become a glimmering girl
A girl, shining bright, appeared before me
With apple blossoms in her hair
Who had flowers of the apple tree in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
She called my name, ran away, and disappeared into the brightening air
And faded through the brightening air.
She vanished into thin, bright air
Though I am old with wandering
Although I have aged and roamed for so long
Through hollow lands and hilly lands
Traveling through empty and mountainous landscapes
I will find out where she has gone
I will search for her and find out where she went
And kiss her lips and take her hands
I will embrace her, hold her hands, and kiss her lips
And walk among long dappled grass
And roam through beautiful, shaded grassy fields
And pluck till time and times are done
Where I will pick until the end of time
The silver apples of the moon,
The silver apples hanging from the moon-like branches
The golden apples of the sun
The golden apples shining under the sun
Writer(s): William Butler Yeats, Mike Scott
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Raina430
The Song of Wandering Aengus
BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
@willwinl
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
The Wind Among the Reeds, 1899. 4th ed. (London, 1903), 15–16. Available at Project Gutenberg.
@theproblemmustbeinyourpant5910
My dad would sing this to me before bed as a child. No other memory brings such warmth to my soul, reminds me of what really matters. When I hear this song, the all the noise and nonsense in the world seems to dissapear.
@holyspacemonkey
Your dad had excellent taste! Did he also play guitar?
@Byrontheone
A most holy love song words by William B Yeats, interpreted geniusly by our Donovan. Blessings to him for singing us such beauty.
@holyspacemonkey
I’ve been listening to this on repeat for weeks.
@simonedevlin7710
Donovan has always had a sense of beauty expressed in the finest of poems which validated these gentle times of peace, love, joy and genuine happiness. I am so grateful to have experienced the absolute best of the Age of Aquarius.
@carlosantuckwell
Brilliant. I fell in love with that song as soon as I first heard it in the early 1970s. I finally worked it out on guitar when I was on my own living in a shack in 2002 (no TV or computer distractions).
Very good photos to match, even Marianne Faithful - that was close, but his unrequited love for years was Linda Jones, discarded wife (c.1965) of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones. (Incidentally, Brian & Linda had a son: Julian, very close in age to John & Cynthia Lennon's Julian.) Donovan & Linda finally married in the early 1970s.
I used to think that sublimely poignant ending bit was originated by Donovan, and that Genesis (the early, original Genesis, when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer) got that phrase from Don, but they were doing the same thing at the same time (only Genesis would devote 32 bars to that kind of beautiful haunting tripped-out acoutic guitar riffs). Check out Genesis' album "Trespass" - recorded 1971. (Phil Collins was not even a member back then.)
It's amazing how some things weren't pinched by one artist(s) of another, but how both were doing the same thing at the same time - the end of The Who's Pinball Wizard is very similar to the end of Blind Faith's Had To Cry Today (both recorded in 1969).
@patdoyleable
great post - very interesting - thanks for sharing. John Lennon my hero, always will be. Ive seen Christy Moore sing this song three times live and it never fails to move me. Yeats best work IMO. Thanks
@carlosantuckwell
Patrick Doyle You're welcome.
@suzannelawson9215
Do you know what became of Brian & Linda's son, Julian?
Did he get involved with music at all like his late father, Brian Jones?
Did Julian live with Linda & Donovan and how old would he be now?
I just don't recall hearing or reading anything about Julian Jone's life anywhere.
@carliereed3881
Living out in the country 160 miles southwest of Paris 72 found a cassette somewhere with this song. Remember lying on a narrow table in the abandoned farmhouse lent me by the local Laird, listening to this hypnotic trance...